7.26.2014

Batman 8-Bit Figure from NECA & Their Releases so far









Holy Shit Batman!! First off, special thanks to Rob over at Actionfigure Informer for the heads up on this.

Being a comic book and toy nerd as well as a filmgeek, I felt it was my duty to inform you of this awesome bit of toy news. Mainly though because I'm just excited as shit and giddy like a little school girl.

NECA has done it again and is releasing another figure in there highly-popular and growing 8-Bit Video Game Figure Line. As much as I am a fan of the entire line of these excellent 8-Bit figures, this is the one I'm most excited about. Why you ask? I'm glad you asked.

Via NECA:

Batman is the sixth figure in our highly successful line of classic 8-bit video game tributes. Following Michael Keaton‘s iconic portrayal as #Batman in the movie, the side-scrolling game was released in late 1989 for the super popular 8-bit home console, and is a true ’80s classic.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1989 film that defined Batman for the modern generation AND its 8-bit video game adaptation, we’re proud to announce our first-ever Batman figure in 7″ scale!

Batman (1989 Video Game Appearance) is the sixth figure in our highly successful line of classic 8-bit video game tributes. Following Michael Keaton’s iconic portrayal as Batman in the movie, the side-scrolling game was released in late 1989 for the super popular 8-bit home console, and is a true ’80s classic.

Batman stands 7″ tall, with over 25 points of articulation for great poses, plus removable cape, Batarang and Spear Gun accessories. Stylized paint deco reproduces the game’s original cel-shaded look. Special window box packaging with opening flap to re-create the look and feel of the classic 1989 video game packaging.


I'm a huge Batman fan, but I'm an old-school Batman kinda guy. My favorite Batman films will always be the Tim Burton directed Batman (1989) and the weird and slightly sub-par sequel. That is quintessential Batman to me. And being as I grew up a kid in the 80's, I was an NES fan all the way. While I didn't have Friday the 13th or A Nightmare on Elm St., you can bet your ass that I did in fact have Batman the video game and played it till my fingers bled. Okay, not really, but you get the point. Being a nostalgic fella, I had bought the game again about a few years ago on eBay as part of a set and have begun playing it again randomly. This game is still fun as shit and I still love the 8-Bit graphics to this day. I don't get very far on it, because I don't have the patience I used to when I was 11 years old, but as a time-waster, Batman the video game is a helluva lot of fun still. When the SNES came out, while there was no Batman game, they did release Batman Returns, which I also own and can attest that with even better 16-Bit graphics, it's also a ton of fun.

#1: Friday the 13th
If you'll remember, they're first entry was the 8-Bit Jason based off of the terrible Friday the 13th NES game from the 80's, complete with big box packaging emulating the look of an old NES cardboard box. It was originally a San Diego Comic Con exclusive which sold out within minutes, only to have a few sold online intermittently to anyone lucky enough to snag one at just the precise minute they became available.

#2: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Realizing the popularity of these type of figures was much larger than imagined, they next released a Freddy figure, also based on the classic NES game and packaging. Another hit, they've steadily increased their line one figure at a time, leaving each and every one of us nostalgic die-hard nerds wondering what figure will be the next. If you're an old guy like me, you remember these games rather fondly, even if they kinda sucked, like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street for example. Nowadays, if we own these old games, it's more for nostalgia and collecting. With the exception of Batman, I'd never pop one of these into my Nintendo for fun. More than anything, these old games just look cool sitting on an aging geek's shelf. When it comes to these 8-Bit figures though, you can't deny that the attention to detail is outstanding.


#3 Robocop
Next in line after the success of Freddy was non other than Robocop. Yes!! It was nice to see them go in a
different direction and not stick purely to horror. When news hit that Robocop would be releasing soon I almost lost my shit. I assumed that the Freddy figure was kind of a fluke, with NECA trying to capitalize on the surprising success of it's Jason figure. But lo and behold they kept going and they couldn't have picked a better character and game to offer up next. Truth be told I've never actually played this game, or even knew it existed. My excitement stems from my love of the original film and that baddest of the bad poster art, which was subsequently used as the cover for the NES game. I don't know, I just love Robocop and this box art is fantastic. Maybe you're not so much a fan of the games themselves, but as toy art, these big boxes look pretty sweet sitting on your shelf.


#4 Predator
NECA's last 8-Bit retro video game release before announcing the new Batman figure was Predator, another solid effort. After each figure, I always wonder what they'll pick next and so far, I've never been disappointed. In keeping with the theme they've been using, I can only assume that Aliens, Contra, Ghostbusters, Die Hard, and The Terminator aren't far behind. Though Tron was never released on NES as far as I recall, if they could pull that off, I don't think I could contain my excitement because for me, Tron is the crown of geekdom. I'd probably have a geekasm and that's no lie.

These 8-Bit figures are a big deal to me. You see, while I collected figures as a die-hard fanatic in the 90's when Spawn first hit the market, I pretty much stopped as I got older. Now, being 38 years old, I buy them sparingly when I see one that I just can't live without, such as these 8-Bit figures or a Michael Keaton Batman. I'm still a collector, but a much more selective one I guess because you know, I got bills and shit.



























#5 Rocky
NECA just recently released some news this past June that their next figure in line for the 8-Bit figure's would be Rocky, based on the SEGA game of the same name from 1987. Not many details have been released as of yet, including the box art, but it's release date has been tentatively set for sometime in September. 

#6 Batman
Still surprised this wasn't closer up the list. I would have thought this most definitely deserved to be at least their 3rd or 4th release. Maybe it was copyright issues? Either way, the 6th figure in the series already has a street date set for October and I personally cannot wait. 

So based on their upcoming Rocky release, it seems that they're not just limiting themselves to just NES games, which gets me excited since they can and may very well delve into those other figures I mentioned before, most importantly Tron from Walt Disney. One can only dream.

As with any figure news, I need to thank my buddy Rob from Actionfigure Informer. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't know what the hell's going on in the figure world. I had no idea this new Batman 8-Bit release was even on the horizon and I have him to thank for it. So do yourself a favor if you want to stay up to date on any badass figure release, reviews and news, please follow his Facebook page, Actionfigure Informer. He's the go-to guy for any new figure news and release and does a really bang-up job reviewing them. 

No comments:

Post a Comment